“I just wanted to get it for our guys so bad. We came out and played our tails off,” Blagg said after catching nine passes for 94 yards and two scores. “Just so glad I caught that ball. It’s a great feeling. We came out and played hard – got it for our seniors.”

Santo tied the game at 26-26 with 1:27 remaining on Grant Nemeth’s 7-yard run, keeping the drive alive by converting a fourth down on a halfback pass. But the Wildcats missed the PAT wide left, leaving overtime on the table.

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Windthorst's Hunter Wolf runs around the line of scrimmage before being tackled in the game against Santo Friday, Oct. 26, 2018, in Windthorst. The Trojans defeated the Wildcats 33-26.(Photo: Lauren Roberts/Times Record News)

Wolf and his offense had other plans. The Trojans had already answered Santo’s touchdown late in the second quarter with a score 27 seconds before halftime and they replicated that feat again with the game on the line.

“I knew we had enough time to score. We’ve done it before,” said Wolf, who threw for 242 yards and three touchdowns while adding a first-half rushing score. “I just had confidence in my guys.”

Blagg had a phenomenal fourth quarter for the Trojans (5-3, 3-0), starting with blocking Santo’s PAT attempt that kept the game tied at 20-20 with 7:41 remaining.

Less than a minute later, Blagg caught Wolf’s short pass, shed a couple Santo tacklers and found the end zone for the first time on a 39-yard score. It was the same area of the field where he’d make the game-winning catch minutes later.

Windthorst's Hunter Wolf (11) looks to the sideline next to Ethan Belcher (39) in the game against Santo Friday, Oct. 26, 2018, in Windthorst. The Trojans defeated the Wildcats 33-26. Lauren Roberts/Times Record News

Windthorst's Hunter Wolf runs around the line of scrimmage before being tackled in the game against Santo Friday, Oct. 26, 2018, in Windthorst. The Trojans defeated the Wildcats 33-26. Lauren Roberts/Times Record News

Santo's Jett Bryan runs through a hole in the line of scrimmage in the game against Windthorst Friday, Oct. 26, 2018, in Windthorst. The Trojans defeated the Wildcats 33-26. Lauren Roberts/Times Record News

Blagg, who’s a matchup nightmare for opposing defensive backs, had an even better catch than the game-winning snag to start the final drive – a 9-yard out route that required a toe-tapping dive out of bounds.

A couple short completions, a Santo facemask penalty and Wolf’s 11-yard scramble set the Trojans up inside the 10-yard line. With 20 seconds left, Windthorst burned its last timeout to draw up the fade call that won the game.

“I was singled up out there and I knew I had to get inside and give me a lot of room to work with," Blagg said. “I gave him a couple steps inside and got him to bite a little bit. He played it great, just the concentration and I came down with it.”

The Wildcats became the second team to enter Trojan Field unbeaten and leave with a loss, joining Archer City from two weeks ago. It’s a testament to Windthorst persevering through a demanding non-district schedule that included three straight losses.

Santo deserves some credit too for hanging tough on the road. The Wildcats’ run-heavy offense isn’t built to overcome double-digit deficits, but there they were plugging away after trailing 20-7 at halftime. Nemeth led the charge with 122 of Santo’s 335 rushing yards.

“It’s the first time we’ve been in that situation, but I thought we responded and answered,” Santo coach Devon Mann said. “A few things don’t go our way in the fourth quarter. We’ll get back to work on Monday.”

So will the Trojans, who should have no problems with Electra and Petrolia in their final two district games. Windthorst won’t be the regional favorite when the postseason begins – No. 2 Wellington has that honor – but the Trojans are looking like they’ll be a tough out.

And in those practices, Blagg is sure to make a few more circus-like catches that only his coaches and teammates will see.

They won’t be surprised. After all, it’ll be hard to top Friday night.

Worth noting: Windthorst led 20-7 at halftime on the strength of Wolf’s 1-yard TD pass to Ethan Belcher and 3-yard run. Cy Belcher also had a 1-yard sneak, but the Wildcats answered on the first drive of the third quarter. … Nathan Bales intercepted his eight pass of the season in the first half. That was Santo’s only pass attempt until a fourth-down halfback pass that helped tie the game at 26-26.